Hongik Univ

Hongik Univ
Originally uploaded by Robbiekuromi

Testing one two three

Post Holiday blues again......but Yunnan was great!

Just back from another holiday...this time Yunnan, China!

Finally my mum get to see the place of her dreams...haha....it is indeed very beautiful. I have sort of lost interest in china cuz everywhere in china now is so commercialised, so similar.....but the amazing scenery and culture in Yunnan is worth a visit.

so sian to work now. work is still the same old things. really wonder how long shld i do this? but if i dun do this, what shld i do? still am in the holiday mood and a bit spaced out. thanks to the late late flights by China Eastern Airlines. We left Spore at 4am...! (45mins delayed) and left Kunming back home at 10.30pm (30mins delayed). reached Spore at 2.10am. But glad to say that the airline have improved with food and the plane.

It was another rather enjoyable tour with SA. People in my tour group were mainly english speaking, no kids but a few old folks and OLs. its funny how destiny brings us together. 2 pairs of OLs clicked v well. all of them were married with kids but still went on holiday on their own. wow...is this like the new generation of ladies in spore? they said they desperate housewives. perhaps.

The rest were snr citizens but all spoke eng. and also a group from HK. some of them came from Vancouver. i noticed SA tour members are usually pple from eng speaking background. i have met some Chan Brothers members while on tour with SA to Hokkaido and this time Yunnan, they were more chinese speaking and heartlander type. talk v loud. but i guess different type of "fun".

The tour was packed with activities since touch down. Lots of parks, scenic places and of course shopping stops. this is what irks me for china tours. but what to do, they operate like that. Many things are sold in an overpriced manner but they throw in freebies and stuff.

Kunming is bascially a thriving city. i was shocked that its almost looking like Shanghai or Beijing. So many many new buildings, malls, restaurant...and all oh so new. By 2015, there will be a direct rail link between Spore and Kunming, passing Msia, Thailand and Vietnam. Kunming will be the gateway to China for SEA.....wow! can u believe what will happen then? more sporeans will definitely be travelling north for business opportunities! how exciting.

I was sooo happy to find JNBY .....er i think spelling is like that at Parkson mall! its retails in China for like 1/3 of the price in Spore!! aiyo!! what a BIG difference! not fair man.......i was getting all excited to buy 2 jackets but then....they dun accept intl credit cards!! boo! sob! i tried to use my ATM to draw cash ....but no cirrus facilties ....and it was nearly closing...aiyah.....so can only buy one. 500rmb. of well what to do. next time, must bring more cash!

partically memorable is Lijiang and Shangri-la. Yulong mountain which surrounds Lijiang is oh so magnificent! i was totally mesmorised by it. there was a bit of snow on the peak which makes it looks even nicer. sun set glow on it was particularly pretty. Lijiang is now filled with tourists and visitors and shops. a bit over crowded i feel. but what to do, its beauty is to share with eveyone. Dali, Lijiang and Shangrila all had old ancient towns turned into shopping mecca for tourists. Lots of cute bed and breakfasts and theme restaurants to capture the anymoh travellers.

Also saw the Zhang Yimou show - Impressions of Lijiang. wow the setting was very nice! and the show was impressive with a 500 cast. its really so clever of them to us Yulong as the backdrop. just with that mountain, the show is alreay a 80% guaranteed success. The photos taken were amazing. we are so blessed with good weather a a clear view of the mountain. It was a tad bit cold in the morning for the 9am show but hey....highly recommended that the 2pm show! you will prob melt in the sun after lunch! The temperature rose quickly as the morning went by.
some parts of the show was v touching. and the music was great.
One of my tour members got so mesmorised by one of the actors.....keep saying that he was soooo handsome! haha...not bad lah.

after Lijiang, we were off to Shangri-la. another 4 hrs away. the temperature got colder as we travelled around the mountains up to 3000m above sea level. First stop was a nice tibetian hot pot lunch. the soup was great. saw many tibet style houses on the way. each house is 3 levels. 1 level for ......animals! yes. second level was the big hall and rooms, and 3rd level a small attic. the animals on the first level is actually to keep the house warm. quite clever eh.
The scenery for shangri-la was simple but breathtaking. Mainly because of the blue skies and wonderful and glorious looking clouds. lots of animals like horses, goats, sheep on the grassland and mountains surround every corner.

it wasnt like Lijiang, that glamourous....but there was indeed a certain special charm.
the old town came alive at about 7pm with locals doing their dance at the centre square. we joined in for some evening exercise! it was great. later we checked out a cool looking bar/pub....really beautiful with the biggest prayer wheel just above its roof. the owner was a cool looking chinese gal from Shenzhen. Her husband is an artist and the drawings and art pieces in the pub were all done by him. We had wine (280rmb a bottle) there. yunnan wine! haha...it was ok ....atmosphere was great. many chinese film stars have also been here before - like zhang yimou himself.

can tell that she did this out of her passion.....not sure how they make ends meet but its cool u know when u are living a life out of yr passion. i am quite sure her pub is prob one the of prettiest one around shangri-la. The temperature outside she said was zero 0! but we didnt feel it cuz of the indoor heater. wow...zero......
took a walk back to the hotel ....it wasnt that freezing, in fact just nice.